Two days without any challenges followed, and I was grateful for them, using the time off to let off some steam with the other girls.

After the exam, I was so angry I could’ve slapped the Queen if she dared show her face in front of me again.

But I kept my feelings to myself, knowing that if I expressed my hatred for the older woman to anyone, I could be called out for treason.

I needed to keep my secrets my own. I wasn’t sure who I could trust in the castle, so for now, I didn’t speak of my true feelings to anyone.

Even when Zara and Safiya prodded me for more information, I kept a stoic smile on my face and warded off their remarks by saying the Queen was a respectable woman who knew what she was doing.

“You can’t believe that!” Zara exclaimed as we were walking in the castle gardens.

Her expression was one of disbelief and she was intent on explaining to me just how much the Queen had wronged me.

I merely listened with a serene smile on my face.

Keep your secrets to yourself, I reminded myself, over and over again. You never know who will prove to be a snake.

“Let’s talk about something else,” I finally said, tired of the conversation going in circles.

Safiya, who was walking with us, rewarded me with a grin, and I could tell she was getting sick of Zara’s insistence, too.

“Safiya, you seem to know so much about this place. Did you read up on it before you came here?”

She nodded, the fire in her eyes returning. She’d regaled us with tales of Luxuria the whole time we’d been chatting, and I marveled at her knowledge of the castle and the country itself.

“I have a little confession,” she admitted, smiling slyly. “I have an ulterior motive for coming here.”

“Safiya!” Zara exclaimed with shock. “You can’t be serious. Isn’t the Prince reason enough to be here?”

“Of course he is,” Safiya responded, giving me a conspiratorial smile. “But there’s so much more to discover in Luxuria than just finding out the color of the Prince’s sheets.”

The three of us giggled as we kept walking in the exquisite gardens.

They were truly the pride of the castle, with rich, lush winter greens accompanying us on the walk through the maze. It had tall hedges, rose bushes with brilliant blooms guiding our way.

Safiya had told us one secret already – that we had to follow the white roses to find our way to the center of the maze. The red roses marked every wrong turn that would lead us away from the center.

It was quite cold outside, and we’d all bundled up in our warmest clothes.

I wore a scarlet red Stella McCartney dress over sheer black stockings, black leather boots by Chloe, and a black cape trimmed with faux fur I’d gotten from Rose, a custom-tailored piece. The other girls wore real furs, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that, I loved animals too much.

Zara bundled up in her brown rabbit, while Safiya pulled her white wool coat adorned with silver fox tighter around her chest.

“Tell us more,” Zara said, her breath fogging in the air. “I want to know everything!”

“You didn’t do any research yourself?” Safiya raised her eyebrows, a playful smile on her lips. “Don’t worry, girls, I’m more than happy to impart my wisdom.”

“Go on then,” I urged her. “Tell us more.”

“I’ve told you most of the history, right?” Safiya asked, and the two of us nodded eagerly. “Prince Olivier’s father, King Sebastian, ruled with a firm fist. He wasn’t a kind ruler, but he was fair. The country flourished under his rule. He amassed riches to conquer every other kingdom in Europe. He was wealthy, he made all the right decisions, and he took care of his family. There was only one mystery that was never solved before he died…”

“What was it?” Zara rushed to ask, her eyes burning bright with curiosity. “You can’t stop now, Safiya!”

Our friend’s eyes sparkled. She knew she’d hooked us, and even I was eager to find out more, cursing myself for not doing more research on the royal family.

“The King had a bastard son,” Safiya went on, eliciting a gasp from Zara.

“Bruno, right?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Secrets, secrets, secrets will be the end of me, I thought to myself as both girls turned to face me with matching curious expressions.

“You know about him?” Safiya asked. “I thought it was a secret… for a while, I even thought it was an urban myth!”

“He picked m-me up from the a-airport,” I stuttered. “He didn’t pick you girls up?”

“No,” Safiya shook her head, and Zara mirrored her reaction. “I really didn’t think he was real. I thought it was all tales, that he was made-up. I haven’t seen him in the castle. Have you, Amber?”

I thought back to my time in Luxuria and realized I hadn’t seen Bruno either, not since that first day at the airport. I shook my head.

“What does he look like?” Zara rushed to ask. “I wonder if he’s as handsome as Prince Olivier.”

“He is,” I admitted reluctantly. “Though they look very different… I guess Olivier must look more like his father, I don’t see the family resemblance with the Queen.”

The girls showered me with questions and I laughed, doing my best to answer them all. Now, I was questioning Bruno’s presence at the airport.

Why had he only picked me up, but not the other girls? Was I special in some way? Or was he just scoping things out for his brother?

I realized with a start Olivier had never mentioned his brother to me. Perhaps there was animosity between them?

I vowed to get to the bottom of it soon.

I remembered Bruno clearly now, the dark hair, the piercing gray eyes.

Where had I seen those eyes before? They felt so familiar when I thought of them.

He was handsome, there was no doubt about it. But there was an air about him I didn’t trust completely, something to suggest he was perhaps more sinister than he let on.

“Safiya, tell us more about what you know,” I finally said when they’d exhausted my knowledge of the royal bastard. “Who is Bruno’s mother?”

“Well, her name was Evalina,” she confided in us. “Apparently, she was part of King Sebastian’s own selection, but stayed on after he picked the Queen as a maid.”

“Sounds so mysterious,” Zara muttered. “We need to find out more, girls.”

“What does it matter?” I shrugged. “We’re here for Olivier, right?”

“Right,” Zara nodded, her eyes glittering with mischief. “Though I have a feeling Bruno might be the perfect consolation prize.”

We all laughed out loud.

“Have you girls dated before?” I asked, my heart thumping in my chest as I got the question out.

They turned to face me, and I rushed to add, “Obviously, nothing serious… But surely you’ve had other men courting you?”

“I suppose,” Safiya said with a devilish smile. “Though I can’t say I was interested. I had other things on my mind…”

“Like what?” Zara asked, but she shrugged, giving us a mysterious smile.

I made a mental note of it for later before turning to face my other new friend.

“What about you, Zara?” I asked.

“Well…” she gave me a glance filled with worry. “There was someone… Someone my parents really wanted me to marry. But when the invitation came, I wasn’t grateful for it.”

“You didn’t want to marry the other boy?” Safiya asked.

“Boy?” Zara let out a bitter laugh. “He wasn’t a boy. He was twenty years my senior… And no, I didn’t want to marry him. It would’ve been an arranged marriage though, as is our custom, and I couldn’t have done much to fight it. And if I don’t win here… I’ll have to go back home, and probably marry him, anyway.”

“That’s awful,” I muttered, squeezing her trembling hand. “I had no idea, Zara. I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged, the happy-go-lucky smile that was her signature returning to her face as she brightly retorted, “I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

I gave her an encouraging smile, my heart aching for her.

What else was I supposed to do?

In the end, we would still be each other’s competition. We all wanted Olivier, but only one of us would stay in Luxuria and become his bride.

“What about you, Safiya?” I asked next. “Ever been in a relationship?”

“I have,” she replied, giving me a mysterious smile.

“Anyone for Olivier to be jealous of?” Zara waggled her brows, and all three of us giggled. “Was he from Egypt too?”

“She,” Safiya replied with a grin, making Zara’s mouth gape open.

“Are you for real?” she asked. “You dated a woman?”

“Yes,” Safiya shrugged. “I went to an all-girls’ school. It was my little form of rebellion.”

“You just got about ten times cooler in Zara’s eyes,” I told her, making both laugh.

“I can’t believe it,” Zara gushed. “Why did you break up?”

“She lived on the other side of the world,” Safiya shrugged. “And our families didn’t approve, obviously. But enough about that. And don’t mention it to the others. You guys can keep a secret, right?”

Zara was quick to nod, but Safiya was looking right at me when she asked the question.

Why is she so quick to judge me?

I wouldn’t disappoint her, her secret was safe with me, but I didn’t like that she was quicker to think I’d tattle over Zara.

I offered her a cool smile, nodding to signify I wouldn’t tell a soul.

“Do you still love her?” Zara blurted, and I chastised her with a look that she studiously ignored. “I just want to know. You wouldn’t be here if you did, right?”

Safiya’s mouth set in a thin line and she refused to meet our eyes.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter,” she responded. “And it’s none of your business. I’m moving on, one way or another.”

Zara looked away, flushing, and discomfort settled between us like a poisonous snake coiling itself around our friendship.

“Do you know anything else about Luxuria?” I was quick to ask Safiya, to try and disperse the tension. “Any local myths and legends about the royals?”

“There is something.” The sparkle was back in Safiya’s eyes as she turned to face us. “There are quite a few castles in Luxuria, given how small it is. One of them is very close to here… See those woods?”

She pointed at the dense forest looming in the distance, and Zara and I nodded in response.

“There’s an urban legend that there’s a castle within them,” Safiya told us. “So well-hidden and protected no one has seen it in centuries. It’s private land, with guards watching for trespassers, so it could be plausible.”

“Another castle?” Zara asked. “Do people still use it, or is it a museum?”

“Legend says,” Safiya went on, “a monster lives there with his captive. But when I was reading up on it, I found out monster and his victim might have become one in more ways than one…”

“That sounds…” I started.

“Exciting!” Zara cut in, clapping her hands together. “Oh my gosh, I love these fairytales. Did you find any more information, Safiya?”

The other girl shook her head, but there was no mistaking the flash of interest in her eyes.

“It’s part of the reason I came here,” she finally confessed. “I’ve always been interested in urban legends, this one being just one of them. I will try to research it a bit more, and let you know what you find out.”

“Yes, please,” Zara said, and I found myself nodding along. I was genuinely curious. Could there be any truth to the story of the mysterious castle? I was eager to find out.

“Hello, ladies.”

The three of us turned in the direction of the deep, booming voice, and flushed in unison.

“Your Highness.”

Safiya was the first to curtsy, with Zara and me following her greeting. Olivier stood a little way off, and my heart started thumping once again.

He’s come to find me! I thought. Oh, if only Freya were here to see this.

I wore a triumphant smile on my lips when Olivier said, “I’m so sorry to break up your pleasant morning, but I was hoping to borrow one of you. Would that be okay?”

The girls looked at me, both with pride and jealousy, and I felt my chest swelling with emotion, unable to get rid of the smile on my face.

“Not at all,” they said.

“Perfect,” Olivier grinned, his gaze drinking me in.

I could just tell his mind was on the night in my bedroom, on his fingers bringing me pleasure like I’d never felt before.

“Zara, will you come with me?”

Excuse me?

I gritted my teeth as my friend exchanged surprised glances with us before curtsying again, taking Olivier’s arm and following him out of the maze. She threw me an apologetic look over her shoulder while I stood there stewing in my own jealousy.

He’s supposed to pick me every time!

Jealousy cut through me like a knife, and Safiya knew better than to say a word as we made our way back to the castle.